I hate to say it, but I’m glad burger month is over. Earlier this month I was eating 2-3 burgers a week. I would eat 1-2 burgers during the week for “research” then cook another burger on the weekend; it was just too much. Not only did I get burned out on burgers, I also gained 7 pounds. Maybe if I didn’t sit around on my fat ass all the time I might have been able to minimize the effects of burger month, but I’m old and lazy. So without further ado, I give you the final burger of the month…the Fried Burger.
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| The Final Burger of the Month, the Fried Burger |
There’s a new player in the local burger game and they are doing something that is better than the average fried burger and in my humble opinion, it’s really delicious. That place is Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburger. Freddy’s serves up a super thin patty that is held together by not much more than the char between the pieces of beef. It may be a thin patty, but the flavor is thick. Check out the pic below, that fried skirt is pure flavor.
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| Freddy’s Steakburger |
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| The AlbuKirky Disc-It |
In my attempt to recreate this thin fried burger, I started with the freshest ground chuck I could get. I actually went to my local butcher, picked out a good chuck roast and had them grind it fresh. I have to say, the fresh ground chuck was excellent and I may just start buying my ground beef like this every time. I also purchased a new heavy-duty spatula so I could press the patties flat without bending it. Oh, and I also got a brand new Disc-It to fry my burger on.
I formed my patties by weighing out a quarter pound of the fresh ground chuck, rolled it into a ball, seasoned it with my BBQ Rub, then laid down a sheet of parchment paper and pressed out the patty with the back side of the spatula. I pressed the patties pretty thin, but not quite as thin as Freddy’s. I was afraid if I got them too thin, they wouldn’t hold together and all I would be left with is a disc full ground chuck pieces. Good for burritos, but after all, this is NOT burrito month.
To maximize the browning, I wanted to cook these burgers hot and fast so my Disc-It was the perfect tool for the job. I fired up the Disc-It and sprayed it down with a light coating of oil. Just when the oil started to smoke I dropped the patties on the disc and all I could hear was sizzling beef! After about 3-4 minutes, I checked them to be sure they were well browned then flipped them and let them cook for another 3-4 minutes. After a minute or two I topped the burger with a slice of American cheese and let it melt while the burgers finished cooking. I stacked the patties up to create a mini-tower of beef and cheese and let them rest while I prepped the rest of my burger.
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| Frying Burgers in the Disc-It |
This time I didn’t do anything fancy for the bun, just a regular Sarah Lee hamburger bun, I just made sure it was fresh. As for the topping I kept it simple too, mayo on the bottom bun, ketchup, mustard and pickle on the top. It may have been simple but damn was it good; it was the prefect ratio of beef, to cheese to bun without too many toppings to get in the way.
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| Adding Cheese! |
After an entire month of burgers I have to say each one has gotten better. If I had to pick a favorite it would have to be the fried burger. I hate to admit it, but a well browned patty fried in it’s own fat tastes better than a thick patty smoked over mesquite charcoal. I’m going to keep working on the super thin patty and by next year I should have it figured out. Maybe, I can figure out how to cook it over charcoal and get the best of both worlds?
Sometimes I will do a burger that style on a cast iron griddle over the fire on my grill. But you're right, a fried burger does have it's own merit and is a welcome change from a grilled burger if that's the only way you do them. Like wise, if all you do is fry burgers, a grilled burger would taste like nirvana.
I have watching Burger Land and I've got a lot of great ideas for cooking burgers. One of my favs was the deep fried patty, every inch of the outside of the patty was browned. It looked awesome. I got a lot more ideas and it's going to take me all summer to try them out!